A 44-year-old man was sentenced Thursday, Feb. 13 in Prince George provincial court to time served after pleading guilty to six charges.
Darren Russell Wiens had been in custody since June 3, 2024 after a Prince George RCMP officer found him running on Dominion Street with a tire iron in one hand and can of bear spray in the other.
Court heard that Wiens appeared to be high on drugs and sweating. He made no sense, except he repeatedly referred to a car accident. Another officer found a Dodge Ram pickup owned by Wiens smashed into the front of a building in the 1200 block of First Avenue. During a search of the vehicle, the officer found a homemade sword and folding saw.
The victim, who had been leaving work and walking to his car, identified Wiens as the driver of the truck that tried to run him over twice. The man said Wiens chased him, attempted to use the bear spray on him and threatened to kill him. The victim ran into the Black Clover pub and stayed there until the police arrived.
Court heard a verbal statement from the victim, who said Wiens, a former acquaintance, stalked him all day and the incident was “worrying for my family and my children.”
Wiens pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, uttering threats, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, refusal to comply with a demand and breach of a bail order. He also pleaded guilty to assault on a separate incident that took place two weeks later.
On June 17, 2024, while in custody at Prince George Regional Correctional Centre, Wiens spat in the face of a correctional officer, grabbed a meal cart and threw food on the floor. He threatened to kill the man, swore at him and called him by a racial slur.
Judge David Simpkin said Wiens’s guilty plea saved court time “which is that precious.”
“You've indicated as early as November last year your intention to try and negotiate a resolution to the matter,” Simpkin said.
Simpkin also sentenced Wiens to pay a $2,000 fine, $7,042 in restitution, serve a 12-month driving ban and 12-month probation, and is prohibited from possessing firearms or other restricted weapons for 10 years. He must also have no direct or indirect contact or communication with the victim.
